Russellville Man Facing Attempted Murder Charges After Tring To Hire Hitman To Kill Family

An 80-year-old Russellville man faces felony charges in Cole County after trying to hire a hitman to kill two of his family members.

A probable cause statement alleges Harley Koestner approached the witness asking if he, or she, would do the deed for an undisclosed amount of money.

The witness recorded the conversation and turned it over to the sheriff’s office.

Koestner was then picked up when he and the witness stopped at a gas station while on the way for Koestner to show the witness where the two people lived.

Koestner is formally charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony exceeding 10 years.

He was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.